Combination nursing and breast milk expression support pillow

ABSTRACT

A pillow support device for an infant during breast feeding and for hands-free engagement of breast pump devices during milk expression sessions. The device features a front pillow section removably engageable with a rear pillow section. The front pillow section provides an optimum support for a prone child thereon during nursing sessions and concurrently is adapted for cooperative engagement with one or a plurality of breast pumps during milk expression sessions and proper positioning of the pumps in relation to the breasts of the user.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention herein disclosed relates generally to pillows. More specifically, the invention herein described and disclosed relates to a user configurable nursing pillow. The device features a planar surfaced forward positioned pillow which is adapted for engagement to one or a plurality of breast pumps to allow nursing mothers to store breast milk for use during feedings when the mother and child are separated or in a locale where breast feeding would be inconvenient. A planar top surface of the forward position pillow also provides an excellent support surface for nursing babies in the prone position. An engageable rearward posited pillow provides lumbar support and is removably engageable to the forward position pillow using adjustable means for engagement that provides a means for adapting the size of the device to the varying size of users.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Breast feeding of children has been around as long as there have been humans on the earth. In the past century, artificial means for feeding small infants became popular through the employment of bottles and milk containers with nipple-like disbursement devices allowing babies to feed from sources other than their mother. However, in the last few decades the benefits of breast feeding to both mother and infant have become more widely known. Breast milk is complete nutrition for the baby and is much easier to digest than formula or other types of milk. In addition it is the perfect temperature and provides for continuous bonding of mother and infant.

For the mother, in addition to imparting nutritional and emotional benefits to her child, there is a convenience factor to breast feeding in that no sterilization is needed, breast milk does not need to be heated, and generally milk for the child is always available. Additional benefits to the mother herself are provided in that the caloric outgo from breast feeding helps the mother lose weight that may have accumulated during pregnancy. As a result, breast feeding has taken on a new popularity to mothers much to the benefit of mothers themselves and their children.

Additionally, in a modern society there are occasions where breast feeding simply is not possible or practical. Such occasions may arise when mother or child are traveling or are in a busy public place. Or, due to the demands of modern society, there are instances where the mother and child may be separated during one or more feeding times.

For the mother wishing to continue a diet of breast milk for the child this necessitates the storage of breast milk for use on those occasions where natural feeding is not possible. Conventionally, storage of breast milk involves the use of breast pumps that act to extract the milk for deposit into containers where it may be given to the child at a later feeding through the use of nipple-engaged bottles.

Feeding a baby either by nursing with natural breast milk or by bottle-feeding, necessitates supporting the child in a generally prone position with the infant's head even with or just below the breast of the mother. During such a feeding it is common for the feeder to tilt their head forward to look at the infant. This can result in the hunching of the shoulders and the use of the arm and chest muscles to support the infant during the term of each feeding. The shoulders are hunched forward. The arm muscles and anterior chest muscles contract to support the infant. Using these muscles for the numerous occasions required for feedings tends to place additional stress on the spinal vertebrae to which the muscles are attached. Further, prolonged muscular contraction in this position with the mother's head leaning forward and shoulders rounded in a cradling position places extra stress on the corresponding muscle tendons which can cause soft tissue inflamation and muscle stress and resulting pain over time. Such muscle stress arising from holding a baby during feeding can frequently result in headache or muscle pain in the neck, shoulders, back, and arms.

Considering the fact that a new mother may nurse 10 to 15 times every day, mothers are faced with the very real possibility that the tender act of nursing their child can in the long-run result in pain and stress to themselves. Such a prospect can in the long run shorten the time the child is breast fed by the mother due to the underlying pain and stress from the physical act of doing so.

Over the years, numerous devices have been employed to help alleviate the muscle stress occurring during feeding of a baby. Such devices include braces, slings, and more recently pillows to support the weight of the child in front of the mother and thereby relieve the stress to the mother from holding the weight of the child during frequent breast feedings. Such pillows are provided in a number of configurations.

However, most suck pillows fail to provide support for the child in the proper position for nursing. Further, for the mother who employs breast pumps to store breast milk for use at inconvenient times and during her absence, such pillows generally lack any provision to engage and hold the breast pumps in place. This causes breast pumping to be inconvenient and requires more time and dexterity than should ordinarily be required. Further, the failure to address the use of breast pumps and resulting inconvenience to the mother can be an additional cause for the early cessation of beneficial breast feeding of the infant.

Further, most conventional support pillows do not attach to the woman's body to allow her to stand or take other positions other than being seated during breast-feeding sessions. Additionally, generally available pillows make no provision for lumbar support when sitting or any provision to adjust the size of the body-engaged pillow to the changing size of the mother over the term of breast feeding the infant.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,649 (Pender) is an inflatable nursing pillow with multiple air chambers which are adjustable as needed for child and mother positioning. However, Pender lacks any lumbar support or adaptation for engagement of breast pumps or concurrent milk expression and nursing ability.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,854 (Crowley) features a pillow for use to position the child in the mother's lap. However Crowley too fails to provide any lumbar support or means for engagement to breast pumps with concurrent nursing support.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,999 (Clark) provides a pillow type device especially adapted for nursing of twins. While Clark does address the issue of back support, it fails to provide any means to adjust the waist of the device to that of varying sized mothers and lacks any means to comfortably engage breast pump devices.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,776,122 (Krasnick) is typical of pillow style devices from early in this century. However, Krasnick fails to provide an adequate surface for the positioning of the baby in front of the mother and features a gap in the rear that impairs back support. To a mother who may be of larger girth immediately following pregnancy, the gap could be a serious support problem. Neither does Krasnick provide any adaptation to engage breast pumps.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,833 (Zenoff) teaches a pillow style device with pockets attached for holding bottles and the like. However, Zenoff too fails to provide any means for proper positioning of breast pumps which may be employed concurrently with nursing the child or when the child is not being nursed. Zenoff must always be employed with a rear section of foam pillow which limits its use in tight chairs or places.

As such there exists a pressing need for a nursing pillow that while easily engageable with the mother's person concurrently provides for proper positioning of the infant for a nursing session. Such a device should provide for lumbar support if desired yet also provide for removal of any rearward portion of the pillow if such is undesirable or impractical in tight spaces. Such a device should also provide adaptive engagement to breast pumps for use by nursing mothers who need to store their milk for use during separation from the child or at inconvenient venues. Finally, since infants tend to fall asleep during nursing sessions, such a device should be removable from engagement with the mother without excessive noise that can wake the infant.

With respect to the above description, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components or steps set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The various apparatus and methods of the invention are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways which will be obvious to those skilled in the art once they review this disclosure. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other devices, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device. It is important, therefore, that the objects and claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Further objectives of this invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The device herein disclosed and described is a marked improvement in the art of support pillows for breast feeding. A number of features of the device allow for user configuration of the pillow at the mother's discretion.

The device features a front pillow section having a generally planar upper surface which extends a sufficient distance to support a child in the prone position while the mother is concurrently engaging a breast pump. The front pillow section is best formed of foam material that will cushion the child during a nursing section.

The front pillow section is engageable to a rear pillow section using means for engagement of the pillow sections. This means for engagement is currently a strap that is attached at a first end to one pillow section—preferably the rear pillow section—and has a means for fastening at the distal end of the strap. This means for fastening can be a hook, buckle, button and eye, or hook and loop fabric or any means to engage the distal end of the strap to the front pillow section.

Experimentation has found that hook and loop fabric such as VELCRO is not always the best choice. It seems that the sound of the hook and loop fabric separating has a natural tendency to awaken the infant when the pillow sections are separated. Consequently while hook and loop fabric will work well for a fastening means, a substantially silent-on-disengagement type of fastener means is preferred to avoid waking a sleeping infant. The depicted loop engaged over a post is one such means for fastening the distal end of the strap that provides for an easy but substantially silent fastener.

The device features a structure that provides not only for the support of the infant during nursing, it also provides a means for concurrent or separate engagement of a breast pump formed in the front pillow section. Modern breast pumps feature a breast engaging component which evacuates milk and deposits it into a bottle or container. Commonly a baby bottle is the container and expression of milk from the breast requires operation of a small suction component.

In addition to providing proper support to feeding infants, the device herein disclosed provides an equally useful function through the additional utility of a means to engage a breast pump through the provision of a pair of elongated specifically shaped apertures formed in the top surface for the front pillow section. These apertures are portioned to allow for conventional breast pump devices to achieve a firm attachment to a woman's breasts during milk expression. Through experimentation with this engagement configuration it has been found that an oval shape to the apertures are especially preferred dimensional characteristic. This is because the oval shape allows for angling of the breast shields commonly employed upon breast pump devices to more comfortably and more securely engage upon the mother's breast while still frictionally engaging the sides of the container of the breast pump. By providing the apertures in this oval form, the device is adaptable to the potentially infinitely varying differences of different mother's anatomy when using the device as a breast pump support. Using the device to hold one or a plurality of breast pump devices employing shields in contact with the user's breasts allows the mother to express milk for use at more convenient times without the need to physically hold the breast pumps in a secure and sealed engagement with her breasts. This allows for hands-free milk expression helping the mother to relax and use her hands for relaxing and enjoying exercises such as writing, reading, talking on the phone and other such endeavors enjoyed by a mother of a nursing infant during free time. Further, the provision of a top surface sufficiently large to support a child nursing on one breast while a breast pump is engaged on the other allows the mother to express milk during a nursing session which generally allows for better milk expression.

Additional utility of the device is provided by the rear pillow section which provides a lumbar support while the woman is wearing the device and sitting in a chair. The rear pillow section is co-operatively engageable in the aforementioned fashion, but if the user decides that it is not desirable or required, it does not have to be engaged. Instead, a longer belt can be employed to attach the front pillow section to the waist of the user, or in cases where attachment is not desired the front pillow section might be supported by the lap of the user and still provide an excellent support for the infant during feeding.

An object of this invention is to provide a nursing pillow that provides a platform to comfortably position an infant for breast feeding while concurrently providing correct posture to the mother.

Another object of this invention is to provide a nursing pillow that also is adapted to co-operatively engage with one or a plurality of breast pumps or breast pump shields and provide hands-free milk expression.

An additional object of this invention is the provision of such a nursing pillow which also provides for lumbar support of the mother if desired.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of such a nursing pillow that is adaptively configurable by the user to either nurse an infant or employ a breast pump and provide back support, as the case may be.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a nursing pillow that can be used for both hands-free milk expression with breast pumps and nursing an infant.

An additional object of this invention is the provision of such a combination nursing pillow that will allow for concurrent breast feeding and milk expression.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of such a combination infant breast feeding support pillow and breast pump registration device which will allow the user to express milk into breast pump containers and concurrently use their hands for other activities.

These together with other objects and advantages which become subsequently apparent reside in the details of the construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSOCIATED DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a is a perspective top view of the device showing the front pillow section with breast pump engaging apertures removably engaged with a rear pillow section.

FIG. 1 b depicts a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 wherein the device replaces the rear pillow section with a belt attachment for use in cramped conditions or where back support is unwanted.

FIG. 2 depicts the device in use in a nursing session operatively positioning the infant for nursing with the mother on the top surface and concurrently engaging a breast pump.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the means for engagement of the front pillow section to the rear pillow section.

FIG. 4 depicts a conventional breast pump container with attached breast shield engaged within the elongated apertures formed in the top surface of the front pillow section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE DISCLOSED DEVICE

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-4 disclose the preferred embodiments of the disclosed user configurable nursing pillow.

As depicted in FIG. 1 a, the device 10 employs a front pillow section 12 having a generally planar upper surface 13 and a bottom surface opposite the upper surface 13 which is normally planar but could be shaped in an arc or some other shape that is comfortable on the lap of the user during use. The front pillow section 12 is preferably formed of foam material that will provide a cushion for the child 15 during a nursing section.

The front pillow section 12 may be used by itself if so desired but is engageable to a rear pillow section 14 by means for engagement of the pillow sections to each other. Currently preferred means for engagement of the two pillow sections to each other is a strap 18 which is attached at a first end to the rear pillow section 14, and has a means for fastening at the distal end 20 of the strap 18. This means for fastening can be a hook, buckle, button and eye, or hook and loop fabric or any means to engage the distal end of the strap to the front pillow section 12. Those skilled in the art will realize that many different means for engagement and means for fastening can be employed and such are anticipated.

As noted above, it has been found through experimentation with the device 10 that hook and loop fabric such as VELCRO is not the best choice for the means for fastening the strap 18 to the front pillow section 12. In order to avoid excess noise that results from separation of hook and loop style fabric which can awaken the infant 15 when the pillow sections are separated, it is desirable to use a substantially silent means for fastening the strap 18 to the front section 12 in any embodiment. The depicted loop 22 engaged over a post 24 is one such means for fastening the distal end of the strap 18 providing a convenient but substantially silent fastener. Multiple posts 24 can be provided in sequentially distant mounts to allow for a means of adjustment of the engagement of the distal end of the strap 18 to adjust the size of the gap 17 to provide a means for waistline adjustment of the device. Or, the strap 18 can be elastic and stretch to allow changes in gap size. Of course other means for fastening the strap to the pillow sections can be used and such are anticipated; however, a means for fastening that is substantially silent on release of engagement is preferred.

Additional utility is provided by the device 10 which employs a means for engagement of the breast pump 26 having a breast engaging breast shield 27 during sessions for expression of milk from the mothers breast 28. Modern breast pumps 26 generally employ a breast engaging component such as the breast shield 27 which suctionally secures the breast pump in a registered engagement with the breast 28 to evacuate milk and deposit it into a bottle or container 30. Conventionally, a baby bottle is the container 30 of choice and expression of milk from the breast 28 requires operation of a small suction component of the breast pump 26 when the breast pump is positioned in an engaged position with the breast 28.

As shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 1 the device 10 provides a means to engage a breast pump 26 and hold it in a registered engagement with the breast 28 in a proper position for milk expression sessions when engaged with the breast 28. Experimentation has shown that such an engagement frequently requires varying angles of engagement of the breast pump 26 with the surface of the device 10 depending on the seated or standing position of the woman and the physical characteristics of both the woman and the breast pump. Such a means for angled engagement of a breast pump 26 relative to the center line 35 is provided by at least one or preferably a pair of apertures 32 formed in the top surface 13 of the front pillow section 12. The apertures 32 define cavities 33 formed in the body of the front pillow section 12. The two apertures 32 defining the cavities 33 are best if placed off center from the center line 35 of the front pillow section 12 which would generally be aligned with the user's sternum. This positions the cavities 33 substantially centered in front of the breasts 28 of the user during use of the device 12.

Ideally, the diameter of the aperture 32 should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the container 30 such that the sidewalls of the cavities 33 will compressibly engage with the container 30 when inserted into the aperture 32. This compressed engagement is caused by compression of the foam forming the front pillow section 32 and the natural resisting bias thereof. The compressed engagement is especially helpful in maintaining the breast pump 26 at the proper height and angle for easy comfortable milk expression sessions.

Experimentation with this means for breast pump engagement and requirement for varying angles of engagement, as noted above, has shown that an oval shape to the apertures 32 and depending cavities 33 are a very preferred dimensional characteristic. While other shapes will generally hold the breast pump upright or allow for slight angles, the oval shape of the apertures 32 allows for angling of the frictional engagement of the container 30 and attached breast pump 26 to allow the user adjust the breast pump angle and high above the upper surface 13 during use depending on their individual physical characteristics, the pump characteristics, and the position of the apertures 32 in front of the breasts 28. Using one or both of the apertures 32 provides temporary frictional compressed engagement of the container 30 and attached breast pumps 26 to achieve a registered and comfortable engagement with the breast 28 for comfort and efficient operation of the breast pump 26. It also allows the user to express milk using breast pumps for use at more convenient times while eliminating the need to physically hold the breast pumps 26 during the sometimes lengthy process. As noted, this frees the user's hands for recreational or relaxation endeavors.

An additional benefit of the oval shape of the apertures 32 is that when the container 30 is inserted at an angle, the narrower diameter of the apertures 32 at the distal ends tends to increase the compression engagement on the container 30 helping to hold it in place for the milk expression sessions. Of course other elongated aperture dimensions will occur to those skilled in the art, and such are anticipated.

While the device 10 will function with the front pillow section 12 and a means to secure it around the user's torso with the front section 12 in front of the user's breasts 28, the rear pillow section 12 as noted is optionally engageable but preferred as it provides a means for lumbar support while the user is wearing the device and sitting in a chair 34. The rear pillow section 14 is co-operatively engageable in the aforementioned fashion, but if the user decides that it is not desirable or required, it does not have to be engaged. This might be the case in a cramped sitting quarter such as an automobile.

When employed, the distance of the rear pillow section 14 from the front pillow section 12 may be adjusted closer or further away by means of the provision of the aforementioned adjustment gap 17 formed between the sections. This gap 17 can be provided by dimensioning the distal ends of the generally U shaped front pillow section 12 and rear pillow section 14 to contact each other for persons with a small waistline and move apart to accommodate persons with a larger waist line. Engageable straps 18 would be longer than the gap 17 is wide and secured to one of the two pillow sections and removably engage to the other at varying points. This can be done with conventional hook and loop style fabric or hooks or other attachments at the distal end. The employment of this adjustable gap 17 and adjustable hook up of the distal ends of the straps 18 thereby provides a means for adjustment of the interior circumference of the device 12 to accommodate different waistlines of the user. This would be especially useful since nursing mothers tend to lose weight during the long term nursing process and thereby require a means to adjust the securement to their waist to fit.

If the rear section 14 is not employed due to personal preference or space considerations, a longer belt 18 may be employed as a means to engage the front pillow section 12 to a relatively fixed engagement with the torso or waist of the user. Or, as noted above, at times when attachment of the rear pillow section 14 is not desired, the front pillow section 12 can simply be supported by the lap of the user and still provide an excellent support for the infant 15 during feeding and also provide a mount for registered and comfortable engagement of one or a plurality of breast pumps 26 during milk expression sessions.

FIG. 2 best depicts the device 10 providing both support for a prone child engaged with one breast 28 while the breast pump 26 is concurrently engaged with the other breast 28. The device 10 allows such a function by providing the oval apertures 33 to allow for adjustment and support of the breast pump 26 and a prone support area of the top surface 13 extending in front of the apertures 33 where the child may lay breast feeding concurrently with the breast pump 26 being engaged for expression of milk from the breast 28. This prone support area should be sufficiently wide to support the lower body of a child 15 engaged on one breast while the breast pump is engaged upon the other. Experimentation has found that if a breast pump 26 is engaged for milk expression while the child is concurrently breast feeding, more milk tends to be expressed into the pump 26 than if it is engaged without the child breast feeding. Consequently, this concurrent use ability is highly desirable in the preferred embodiment of the device 10.

Although the invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments thereof, it should be realized that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. While the invention as shown in the drawings and described in detail herein discloses arrangements of elements of particular construction and configuration for illustrating preferred embodiments of structure and method of operation of the present invention, it is to be understood, however, that elements of different construction and configuration and other arrangements thereof, other than those illustrated and described, may be employed in accordance with the spirit of this invention. Any and all such changes, alternations and modifications, as would occur to those skilled in the art, are considered to be within the scope of this invention as broadly defined in the appended claims.

Further, the purpose of the attached abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 

1. A nursing pillow comprising: A front pillow section, said front pillow section having a top surface, a bottom surface, an inner edge, an outer edge, a first side edge opposite a second side edge, said first side edge and said second side edge communicating between said inner edge and said outer edge; said front pillow having a center line substantially equidistant between said first side edge and said second side edge; said front surface having a center body portion defined by the distance between said top surface and said bottom surface; said top surface having a pair of apertures formed therein, said apertures positioned between said center point and said first side edge and said second side edge respectively; said top surface providing a support surface for a prone nursing infant thereon, said support surface extending forward of said pair of apertures to said outer edge; each of said apertures defining a shape of a cavity formed by a cavity wall surface depending from each said aperture into said center body portion; and said shape of said cavity adapted for frictional engagement of said cavity wall surface with a breast pump having a breast engaging component.
 2. The nursing pillow of claim 1 additionally comprising: said shape of said apertures being substantially oval thereby defining substantially oval cavities; and said oval shape providing a means for angling said breast pump in said apertures toward and away from said center line, whereby a properly aligned engagement to the breast of a user of said nursing pillow is achievable.
 3. The nursing pillow of claim 1 additionally comprising: means to secure said front pillow section to a user with said inner edge contiguous to the waist or torso of said user.
 4. The nursing pillow of claim 2 additionally comprising: means to secure said front pillow section to a user with said inner edge contiguous to the waist or torso of said user.
 5. The nursing pillow of claim 3 wherein said means to secure said front pillow section to a user is a belt; said belt secured at a first end to a first side of said front pillow section; and said belt having a distal end opposite said first end; and means to secure said distal end to an engagement with a second side of said front pillow section opposite said first side.
 6. The nursing pillow of claim 4 wherein said means to secure said front pillow section to a user is a belt; said belt secured at a first end to a first side of said front pillow section; and said belt having a distal end opposite said first end; and means to secure said distal end to an engagement with a second side of said front pillow section opposite said first side.
 7. The nursing pillow of claim 1 additionally comprising: a rear pillow section having an interior edge and an exterior edge; means to secure said front pillow section to said rear pillow section; said front pillow section when secured to said rear pillow section thereby engaged with the body of the user with said inner edge adjacent to a front portion of. the user's body between the waist and the breasts of said person; and said rear pillow section when secured to said front pillow section providing a means for back support to the back of the user.
 8. The nursing pillow of claim 2 additionally comprising: a rear pillow section having an interior edge and an exterior edge; means to secure said front pillow section to said rear pillow section; said front pillow section when secured to said rear pillow section thereby engaged with the body of the user with said inner edge adjacent to a front portion of the user's body between the waist and the breasts of said person; and said rear pillow section when secured to said front pillow section providing a means for back support to the back of the user.
 9. The nursing pillow of claim 7 additionally comprising: said inner edge of said front pillow section and said interior edge of said rear pillow section defining an interior circumference of said nursing pillow; and means to adjust the size of said interior circumference to accommodate the body of the user.
 10. The nursing pillow of claim 8 additionally comprising: said inner edge of said front pillow section and said interior edge of said rear pillow section defining an interior circumference of said nursing pillow; and means to adjust the size of said interior circumference to accommodate the body of the user.
 11. The nursing pillow of claim 9 wherein said means to adjust the size of said interior circumference comprises: at least one gap formable between said front pillow section when secured to said rear pillow section; a strap secured at a first end to one of said front pillow section or said rear pillow section; a fastening means at a distal end of said strap, opposite said first end; said fastening means securable to cooperative fastening means located upon the other of said front pillow section or said rear pillow section which is not engaged with said first end of said strap; and said strap being elastic to allow for increase or decrease in the size of said gap.
 12. The nursing pillow of claim 10 wherein said means to adjust the size of said interior circumference comprises: at least one gap formable between said front pillow section when secured to said rear pillow section; a strap secured at a first end to one of said front pillow section or said rear pillow section; a fastening means at a distal end of said strap, opposite said first end; said fastening means securable to an engagement with a cooperative fastening means located upon the other of said front pillow section or said rear pillow section which is not engaged with said first end of said strap; and said strap being elastic to allow for increase or decrease in the size of said gap.
 13. The nursing pillow of claim 9 wherein said means to adjust the size of said interior circumference comprises: at least one gap formable between said front pillow section when secured to said rear pillow section; a strap secured at a first end to one of said front pillow section or said rear pillow section; a fastening means at a distal end of said strap, opposite said first end; said fastening means securable to an engagement with a cooperative fastening means located upon the other of said front pillow section or said rear pillow section which is not engaged with said first end of said strap; and said cooperative fastening means providing a series of mounts each sequentially more distant from said first end of said strap.
 14. The nursing pillow of claim 10 wherein said means to adjust the size of said interior circumference comprises: at least one gap formable between said front pillow section when secured to said rear pillow section; a strap secured at a first end to one of said front pillow section or said rear pillow section; a fastening means at a distal end of said strap, opposite said first end; said fastening means securable to an engagement with a cooperative fastening means located upon the other of said front pillow section or said rear pillow section which is not engaged with said first end of said strap; and said cooperative fastening means providing a series of mounts each sequentially more distant from said first end of said strap.
 15. The nursing pillow of claim 5 wherein said means to secure said distal end of said belt to said second side of said front pillow section is substantially silent when released from said engagement to avoid waking a sleeping infant.
 16. The nursing pillow of claim 6 wherein said means to secure said distal end of said belt to said second side of said front pillow section is substantially silent when released from said engagement to avoid waking a sleeping infant.
 17. The nursing pillow of claim 11 wherein said means to secure said distal end of said belt to said second side of said front pillow section is substantially silent when released from said engagement to avoid waking a sleeping infant.
 18. The nursing pillow of claim 12 wherein said means to secure said distal end of said belt to said second side of said front pillow section is substantially silent when released from said engagement to avoid waking a sleeping infant.
 19. The nursing pillow of claim 13 wherein said means to secure said distal end of said belt to said second side of said front pillow section is substantially silent when released from said engagement to avoid waking a sleeping infant.
 20. The nursing pillow of claim 14 wherein said means to secure said distal end of said belt to said second side of said front pillow section is substantially silent when released from said engagement to avoid waking a sleeping infant. 